Globe Trot: Syrian government gains ground in conflict

President Bashar al-Assad is gaining momentum in Syria’s civil war with aid from Hezbollah and is unlikely to fall in the foreseeable future. The government has in recent days retaken key cities in the north that have been in rebel hands more than a year. As residents return, they are finding rebels have destroyed their homes, and churches too.

Rebels desecrated St. Elias Roman Catholic Church in Qusair, after occupying the city for more than a year. Returning parishioners found the altar broken and images of Christian saints and Jesus Christ defaced. Graffiti sayings like “The religion of our master will be victorious against all tyrants” were scrawled on the walls.

With Hezbollah’s help, the Syrian Army appears poised to retake Aleppo in a battle that’s been deadlocked for over a year. Despite all the recent posturing by the White House and members of Congress (from both parties), U.S. support to rebels could make very little difference at this point, with arms “already widely available inside Syria”—as Gulf states and Turkey are supporting the rebels, while Iranian-backed Hezbollah and Russia provide armaments to government forces.

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